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87 Reasons We Love Arnold Palmer

Published online: Sep 27, 2016Golf News

Arnold Palmer passed away at the age of 87 on September 25 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Palmer was a true legend of the game and revolutionized the sport. He turned 87 earlier this month, and we wanted to pause for a moment to remember everything he has given us. Here are 87 reasons we love The King.

1. His smile.

2. His tan—even the sun loves him.

3. The way he hitched up his pants.

4. Arnie's Army

5. His "comic book arms," in the words of Arnie & Jack author Ian O'Connor.

6. The sight of him sitting in his cart, just off the 18th green at Bay Hill, waiting to congratulate the winner of his tournament, the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

7. His earnest and ultra classy handshake with Jack Nicklaus after the Golden Bear beat him in front of his friends and family at the U.S. Open at Oakmont in '62.

8. His resilience. Four weeks after his 1962 U.S. Open heartache at Oakmont, ade facto home game, Palmer crossed the Atlantic to win the '62 British Open at Royal Troon by six over Kel Nagle—the widest victory margin in 33 years.

9. His eternal warmth and decency to everyone he meets, no matter their station. In A Good Walk Spoiled, John Feinstein tells of Palmer making the cut at Bay Hill in 1991 at age 61. Peter Jacobsen went to a Winn-Dixie and asked for a cake that could feed 200 and would be ready in the morning. "Impossible," the guy at the supermarket said. "But it's for Arnold Palmer," Jacobsen said. The Winn-Dixie sourpuss brightened. "Do you need it tonight?"